Lyme Disease Science Blog

Lyme disease symptoms can mimic periprosthetic joint infection (PJI), which is caused by typical bacterial organisms. In their article “Lyme Disease: A Potential Source for Culture-negative Prosthetic Joint Infection,” Collins and colleagues describe the case of an elderly man who underwent surgery to treat what doctors initially believed was an infection of his prosthetic knee. [1]

The 83-year-old man, from Pennsylvania, was admitted to the hospital, reporting pain in his knee, erythema and fever for 3 days. Upon examination, physicians noted he had “a moderate effusion and limited range of motion,” explains Collins. The patient had a total knee replacement, involving the same knee, 6 years earlier.

Culture tests were negative for bacterial infections. But the man still met the Musculoskeletal Infection Society’s criteria for periprosthetic joint infection (PJI).

The authors stress the importance of considering Lyme disease in patients who have undergone total knee replacement and whose presentation suggests a diagnosis of culture-negative infections.

“Early and definitive diagnosis of Lyme-associated PJI will allow for the timely initiation of targeted antimicrobial therapy, which will reduce the need for prolonged broad spectrum antibiotics, and thus may reduce the risk of antibiotic resistance,” the authors conclude.

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Dr. Daniel Cameron, MD, MPH, is a nationally recognized leader for his expertise in the diagnosis and treatment of Lyme disease and other tick-borne illnesses. For more than 25 years, he has been treating adolescents and adults suffering from Lyme disease.

Introduction

Dr. Daniel Cameron, MD, MPH, is a nationally recognized leader for his expertise in the diagnosis and treatment of Lyme disease and other tick-borne illnesses. For more than 30 years, he has been treating adolescents and adults suffering from Lyme disease.